Life is a journey. It comes with different paths and seasons — some that feel easy to walk through, and others that require patience and courage. Along the way, we meet experiences that shape us, stretch us, and teach us more about who we are. Learning to love ourselves is part of that journey.
Sometimes it comes naturally, and other times, it takes real work to accept ourselves and feel worthy in our own skin.
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Reflecting back to my younger years; I remember the softness of growing up- mixed with the overwhelming sensation, of being seen through the eyes of others.
In secondary school, I was teased for my facial appearance, and although the physical and verbal abuse, didn’t happen every day- it was often enough to leave a mark.
On the days it happened, I would walk through the halls feeling small, carrying a weight that felt far too heavy for my age. I didn’t have the language for it then, but I was learning early what it meant, to feel unworthy in my own skin.
I didn’t realise how much those moments, had shaped me until adulthood; I started noticing how I spoke to myself, how I compared myself to others, and how uncomfortable I felt receiving love.
That’s when I began to reflect; not to blame myself or others, but to understand what I had been holding onto, and most importantly, what I now needed to release, so I could live more freely and love myself more gently.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
CREDIT: Photo by Rafa Barros
The Power of Support
I thank God for the people who stood beside me- through the moments when I struggled to believe in myself. Friends and family who reminded me that; I was worthy, even when I couldn’t see it. Their encouragement helped me start loving myself again — slowly, day by day.
Loving ourselves doesn’t happen overnight. It takes intention. It takes patience. And it often starts with how we speak to ourselves daily. How we hold ourselves. How we allow ourselves to take up space in our own life.
CREDIT: Photo by Thaís Sarmento
Faith Changed the Way I Saw Myself
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.– Genesis 1:27
Reading this verse helped me see myself differently. If God created me in His image; then there is beauty, power, and purpose in who I am. It means I am not an accident and I am not a mistake. I am not meant to shrink, hide, or compare myself to others and when I began to accept this truth, that’s when I started learning how. to love myself with more grace.
CREDIT: Photo by Bn Gaber
20 Prayers for Self-Love
These prayers are an invitation to soften, to rest, to return to the truth of who we are. May they strengthen you, comfort you, and remind you that you are worthy of love – including your own.
1. 1 Peter 3:4
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Prayer:
God, remind me that beauty begins within. Teach me to cherish the quiet places in myself; the soft, patient, steady parts You shaped with care. Help me love myself gently, the way You do.
2. Proverbs 31:31
Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the work my hands carry; seen and unseen.
Help me honour my effort, to love the parts of myself that show up, try, and continue.
3. Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Prayer:
Help me accept myself fully, not just in my strengths, but in my growing places too.
Teach me to love myself without comparison.
4. Isaiah 43:4
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you. I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Prayer:
God, when I forget my worth, remind me.
Help me to see my through your eyes; cherished, worthy and loved.
5. Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Prayer:
The way you love me, may my love shine through in the same way, so that I can love my neighbours with patience, understanding and compassion.
CREDIT: Photo by Yu Cheung
6. Song of Songs 4:7
You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.
Prayer:
Lord, when fear whispers that I am not enough, quiet it with Your love. Help me release the stories that diminish me.
7. Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Prayer:
God, please help me to remember, that kindness is strength, and compassion is beauty. May I stay humble before You always.
8. Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Prayer:
God, Your love is everlasting and unconditional. As Your love rests within my heart, deliver me from my fears. Help me to hold You close, to embrace Your presence, and to let that love shape the way I see myself and the way I love others.
9. 1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Your word reminds me to hold onto Your promises with strength and courage. It is Your love that casts out fear, and I am grateful to be held by You.
10. Philippians 4:13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Prayer:
Strengthen me to show up for myself. Teach me that choosing myself is not selfish,
it is honouring Your creation.
CREDIT: Photo by Hassan OUAJBIR
11. Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Prayer:
God, remind me to be still in Your presence. Your grace and mercy never fail me, and Your goodness follows me always.
12. Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Prayer:
God, teach me not to lean on my own strength or understanding, but to listen for Your words of comfort and encouragement. God, as I keep my focus on You, may my mind be renewed and transformed.
13. John 15:9
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me to remain in love; not striving, not proving- just being, the way You lived and loved.
14. Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Prayer:
Remind me I am not alone in my healing. You walk with me, You hold me and I am safe to grow.
15. Lamentations 3:22–23
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You that I can start again as many times as needed. Grace does not run out and I am grateful, for being kept close to You.
CREDIT: Photo by Karola G
16. Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to see my life as artwork; being shaped and refined. Remind me to paint my life with grace, following the gentle strokes You have already laid out for me.
17. Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Prayer:
May I root my identity in love that does not change; not in approval, achievement, or appearance.
18. Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Prayer:
Teach me boundaries that honour who I am becoming, ot walls that shut love out, but gates that protect what is sacred.
19. Psalm 23:1
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I lack nothing.”
Prayer:
Where I feel not enough, remind me that Your love is already here; full, steady, and complete.
20. John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Prayer:
Let peace be the place I live from; not perfection, not proving, just peace.
CREDIT: Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
Spiritual Love and Understanding
Self-love grows from the inside out. God reminds us that our worth does not come from how others see us — not our appearance, our achievements, or the roles we play in life.
The love we are called to embrace, begins with the Spirit; a Spirit of power, love, steadiness and to love myself, I have to remember that I am; already held, chosen and enough, in God’s eyes.
Loving ourselves is not selfish; it is a spiritual practice. It is choosing to nourish the soul, to tend to our inner life, to build a loving relationship with God first — so that we can learn how to love ourselves with honesty, grace, and patience.
And from that place, we are able to share love with others more freely, more gently, more truthfully. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”— 2 Timothy 1:7
CREDIT: Photo by Ahmet ÇÖTÜR
Acceptance and Restoration
There comes a moment in every journey where we realise we cannot carry our past forever. God invites us into renewal; to release old fears, old wounds and old stories we once believed about ourselves.
Through Christ, we are made new; loved, restored and whole. We are not meant to stay bound by what once hurt us- but we are meant to live, and live abundantly. God’s intention for our lives, is rooted in goodness; to protect us, to strengthen us, and to help us rise into the fullness of who we are becoming.
To love ourselves is to accept this newness and to step into the freedom God offers.
To believe that we are worthy of healing, joy, peace, and love — beginning within ourselves.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”— 2 Corinthians 5:17
CREDIT: Photo by Arina Krasnikova
Prayer for Self-Love
Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with gratitude, for whom You have created us to be. God, help us to love ourselves, the way You love us and show us how to see ourselves with kindness and patience. Help us to accept our journeys, with all its experiences, lessons, and growth.
Heavenly Father, where we have carried old pain, help us release it.
Where we have believed we are not enough, remind us of our worth. Please teach us, to love ourselves with grace, to honour the journey we are on, and to see ourselves through Your loving eyes, in Jesus’ name. Amen. xx
